Welcome to the 2026 play-in tournament! This is the sixth season of the play-in.
History of the NBA play-in tournament
The play-in tournament technically started in the bubble in the 2019-20 season. It differs from the current form, but the first game was the Grizzlies vs. the Trail Blazers. Portland went on to win and earn the No. 8 seed, facing the Lakers in the first round.
The play-in expanded the following season to its current format, with the 7-10 seeds at the end of the regular season facing off to earn the seven and eight seeds in both
conferences.
Who can forget the “I see three baskets” game-winner from LeBron James in the matchup versus the Golden State Warriors?
In 2021, the Grizzlies beat the Warriors in OT. This was the first time the lower seed beat the higher seed. The Grizzlies beat the Warriors, the No. 8 seed, as the No. 9 seed in a 117-112 overtime game.
2022 brought typical results in the matchups with the seedings. In the 2023 play-in, the Lakers beat the Timberwolves in the 7-8 matchup. The Wolves would go on to defeat the Thunder. This is the game where Pat Bev climbed on the announcing desk to celebrate the win.
In 2024, the Lakers beat the Pelicans twice, once at the end of the regular season and then in the play-in. That season, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets in the first round. Finally, last season, the Heat and Hawks matchup to become the No. 8 seed wasn’t exciting.
Here is a more extensive history of the play-in tournament.
Play-In Tournament schedule
This years Tournament schedule is below. All games will be on Prime Video.
Tuesday, April 14
East — No. 10 seed Heat vs. No. 9 seed Hornets at 7:30 p.m. Eastern (Loser goes home)
West — No. 8 seed Trail Blazers vs No. 7 seed Suns at 10:00 p.m. Eastern (Winner earns No. 7 seed)
Wednesday, April 15
East — No. 8 seed Magic vs No. 7 seed 76ers at 7:30 p.m. Eastern (Winner earns No. 7 seed)
West — No. 10 seed Warriors vs No. 9 seed Clippers at 10 p.m. Eastern (loser is eliminated)
Friday, April 17
East — 7/8 loser vs 9/10 winner at 7:30 p.m. Eastern
West — 7/8 loser vs 9/10 winner at 10 p.m. Eastern
- The first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs will start April 18.
- Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals will be June 3.
Have at it in the Play-In thread and remember all the typical game thread rules and have fun!
